Author: moonworks

Some home renovation projects seem easy to do at first. You may feel confident that you have the skills to handle the project, and it will be cheaper to do it yourself. All too often, however, unforeseen difficulties can make even the simplest project more complicated (and expensive) than you ever thought it would be.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t take much for a renovation project to go wrong. In untrained and inexperienced hands, what contractors can do easily ends up taking much more time and work than it needs to. One slip of a saw or hammer can cut into a wall or pipe and cause more expense and more work than it would have cost to hire a professional in the first place. One wrong measurement can mean that materials must be bought twice, or that you will need to rip them out and start all over . . .

Although replacing a roof, windows or your HVAC system is a job best left to the professionals, there are some DIY projects that homeowners can tackle without much risk of damage or mess-ups. Here are some home projects that are just about foolproof for even the most novice homeowners.

1. Painting a Room.

With some painter’s tape and quality brushes or rollers, it doesn’t take a great deal of skill to repaint a room and give it a whole new look. Use spackling paste to smooth over cracks, and be sure to use primer if you are covering stains or painting a light color over a darker color. Most paints require two coats for optimal coverage, and using a quality paint will help it last longer and look more professional.

Allison Hester has been writing for the exterior cleaning industry for over 20 years, and her publication, eClean Magazine, has quickly become the online resource for professional exterior contract cleaners.

We recently checked in with her to learn more about her magazine and how homeowners can clean their homes more thoroughly. Here’s what she had to say:

Tell us about eClean Magazine. Who should be reading it? What will they find?

eClean Magazine is a publication designed for the professional exterior contract cleaner (i.e., pressure washing, window cleaning, gutter cleaning, roof cleaning/soft washing, etc.). While knowing how to properly clean is important, so is knowing how to properly run a successful business, which is why eClean Magazine provides a mixture of both technical and business related articles.

What are the most-neglected areas of the home when it comes to cleaning?

When people think of cleaning their home, they primarily think of the interior. . . .

The dog days of summer have arrived, and it’s hot outside. But what about the temperature inside your home — is it as comfortable as you would like? As the weather heats up, your house may feel too hot for your liking. Here are some things you can do to cool it down, or save money by running your central air conditioning less.

Block Out the Sun

When the sun beats down on your house, it can raise the indoor temperature by 10 to 20 degrees. As the indoor temperature rises, your electric bill can spike along with it. Installing shades, tinted window film or insulating curtains on all south and west-facing windows can lower your cooling costs up to 7 percent each year or keep your home up to 20 degrees cooler.

Sometimes it’s easy to know which home renovations to do. If your roof is leaking or the ice dams are building up every winter, deciding to address these issues is a no-brainer. Sometimes, though, there are competing priorities that aren’t urgent but will nonetheless help your home function better, look better, or sell better when the time comes.

When your budget is limited, it pays to be smart about the home renovations you choose to do, and to carefully consider all your options before choosing. Here are some ways to decide which renovations are the best choices for your home and family.

Setting Home Improvement Goals

The first step in the home improvement process is to decide what you want most out of the renovations you decide to do. Maybe you want improved functionality of your home’s layout, updated technology that will make your home . . .

Dave Notte is the managing director at Shack Shine, a house detailing services company, specializing in everything from window and house washing to gutter cleaning. We recently asked Dave for tips on keeping your home’s exterior sparkling. Here’s what he had to say:

When and how often should we be washing our homes’ exteriors?

This varies on multiple factors such as the terrain and climate you live in, the age of your home, and the materials it’s made out of. Many of our customers choose to get their siding washed in the spring so the exterior of their home is nice and shiny for the summer.

What is the correct way to wash a house? What are the dos and don’ts of cleaning a home’s exterior?

Each type of exterior will require its own unique method for proper cleaning. The most important thing to note in this whole . . .

Reward programs are typically structured to provide some kind of savings to participants. The program may be a point system where each purchase earns points that can be redeemed for something of value like merchandise, a special deal or a discount on future services. Other reward programs offer deals to repeat customers or customers who make certain purchases in a given time frame.

Saving money with reward programs for services like home renovations can happen in several ways. When considering what home renovations to have done, many homeowners think about the return on investment — how much that renovation will increase the value of their home. Using discounts from a reward program, homeowners can recoup more of their investment, even all of it in some cases. It may be possible to do renovations when the cost is less that you weren’t . . .

Although fall is a likelier time for gutters to become clogged, summer presents its fair share of gutter problems that can lead to backups, especially during heavy thunderstorms and other severe weather. Animals and birds often choose the relative protection of gutters to build their nests, which may not get noticed until a heavy rainstorm.

A water leak could signify roof problems, but there are other causes for leaks as well. Here are the main sources of water leaks around your home and some steps to take if you do have a leak.

1. A Spilled Drink.

If a family member spills a drink on your hardwood floor, water can leak through the cracks onto the ceiling below. This is simple to fix, but can cause staining on the ceiling depending on the type of drink and how long it is left there without being cleaned up. Since the leak is short term, it is not likely to cause any mold problems and if staining does occur, it can be primed and repainted when dry.

2. Leaky Pipes.

A sudden leak or a very slow leak over time can lead to damage in your home. When you discover the leak, it’s . . .

Home improvements aren’t free, are they? As much as we all wish you could get a new roof or replace your windows for nothing, it just doesn’t work that way. So when you can save money on home improvements you need to make anyway, you might as well do so. Choosing a contractor with one or more rewards programs can help you minimize the cost of maintaining your property and keeping it in tip-top shape.

All About Rewards Programs

A rewards program gives you discounts or credit toward future repairs when you purchase a renovation. Some rewards programs work on a points system, such as one point for every dollar you spend, while others offer a flat discount percentage or make customers eligible for certain special offers.

While some rewards programs may be more worthwhile than others, you shouldn’t pay a membership fee or deal . . .